The St. Charles Police Department worked in conjunction with the state of Illinois to bring awareness and conduct enforcement regarding distracted driving and the crashes that often directly result from drivers not focusing on the road.
During the month-long campaign that took place at various times and dates across both the morning and evening, the St. Charles Police wrote:
- 49 citations for Distracted Driving.
- 22 citations for Speeding.
- 13 citations for Other offenses.
- 2 citations for unsecured front seat drivers.
- 5 drivers were arrested for either Driving While Suspended or Revoked.
- There were also 9 warning citations issued for a variety of driving infractions.
“We have witnessed an uptick in drivers violating the state’s distracted driving laws this year as opposed to previous years’ similar campaigns.” Said, Commander Rich Clark. “Officers working the extra details stated drivers were often blatantly texting or manipulating their cell phones. We want to make sure drivers are focusing their attention on the road and getting to their destinations safely. Distracted driving has quickly become one of the biggest contributors to crashes that we investigate.”
Police remind drivers that unless they are in an emergency situation or calling 911, to discontinue using their phone until they have safely arrived at a destination. Several phone carriers even provide an option for drivers to block calls and texts while driving in an effort to discourage unsafe distracted driving habits.
The Distracted Driving /Click It or Ticket/Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over mobilizations are made possible with federal highway safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
